President Barack Obama receives the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts as first lady Michelle holds the bible at the ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington on Monday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Seacoast environmentalists cheer as Obama calls climate a priority

By Deborah McDermott

dmcdermott@seacoastonline.com

January 22, 2013 - 2:00 AM

Environmentalists and climate change activists are responding with near glee to President Barack Obama's words about climate change in his inauguration speech Monday.

"This is the Apollo Project we've been waiting for," said N.H. state Rep. David Borden, a longtime environmental advocate.

"It's amazing," said Jim Rubens, a New Hampshire consultant to the Union of Concerned Scientists. "He's directly on point. It's as accurate as we would hope for a national leader."

In his speech, the president said the country will "respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations."

He went on to say that "the path toward sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition, we must lead it."

Sarah Brown of the Green Alliance, a Portsmouth-based green business organization, said she'll be looking for that leadership from the White House.

"Now that Obama is seizing the opportunity to lead, it's inspiring," she said. "A lot of us will continue to do the day-to-day stuff that's so important. But we do need to have leadership. We can't afford for it to always be voices from the bottom," she said of grassroots efforts to change personal habits in light of global warming. "There needs to be voices from the top as well."

Allison Giest of Environment Maine said the president's second term "offers tremendous opportunity to turn the tide on this problem" of global warming. And she made no bones about what that means for her organization — including rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, continuing to invest in renewable energy, and setting limits on carbon pollution.

Rubens concurred. He said the first order of business for the president should be to "roll out" new power plant standards that would promote the building of natural gas plants. Coal burning plants have drawn scorn from environmentalists for decades over their relatively high carbon dioxide emissions.

Rubens said the White House held back on putting the standards before Congress prior to the election because there were insufficient votes to pass it.

Congress could remain a stumbling block, Brown said, so the president should do as much as he can do without legislation — such as creating new incentives for business, research and educational programs.

"If he does these things, he will end up leading and setting a good example, and who knows where it goes from there?" she said.

Rubens said the time is right to act. With extreme climate events such as Hurricane Sandy likely to continue, he said global warming has America's attention, adding that such events are going to sap federal coffers as states seek emergency aid.

Moreover, as the president pointed out, Rubens said the country can only benefit economically from investing in renewable energy technology.

Said Giest, "The president is posed to continue speaking out about the dangers of global warming. Even better, he is poised to act."

Fact Box

Obama's comments on climate change

"We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. (Applause.) Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition, we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries, we must claim its promise. That's how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure — our forests and waterways, our crop lands and snow-capped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That's what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared."